It turns out both teams still have business to take care of before there can be discussion of a possible LeBron James against the Miami Heat in the NBA Finals.
The Heat failed in their first opportunity to advance, falling 121-108 Friday night to the Boston Celtics in Game 5 of the Eastern Conference finals.
So there now will be a Game 6 of the series at 7:30 p.m. Sunday back at Disney's Wide World of Sports complex, in the league's quarantine setting amid the new coronavirus pandemic, with the Heat's lead in the best-of-seven series reduced to 3-2.
The other half of the bracket could be decided when James' Los Angeles Lakers take a 3-1 lead into Saturday's Game 5 of the Western Conference finals against the Denver Nuggets.
It hardly looked as if the Heat were getting ahead of themselves when they took an early 12-point lead. But the Heat then lost their way in a disastrous third quarter, when a seven-point halftime lead turned into a nine-point deficit entering the fourth.
And so any talk of James vs. the team he left in 2014 free agency after four consecutive trips to the NBA Finals has been tabled for at least two more nights.
Now the question becomes how much life the Heat have given the Celtics, who on Friday night offered the series' most dominant performance.
The Heat got 17 points, eight rebounds and eight assists from Jimmy Butler, 13 points, eight rebounds and eight assists from Bam Adebayo, as well as 23 points from Goran Dragic and 20 from Duncan Robinson.
Jayson Tatum led the Celtics with 31 points, supported by 28 from Jaylen Brown.
